Del La Sol 1320

Went to a Team Promotion track day this past friday on VIR's north course. I've ridden south, full, and grand course but only ridden north once before, during Cornerspeed's school, and it was in the pouring rain. Friday started out no different with the first 5 sessions or so in a constant down pour, most packed up and left or chose not to go out so you pretty much had the track to yourself. Team Promotion has their own race series called GP Moto, decided to enter that as my first actual race, I figured it would be all guys like me but maybe the rain drove everyone away, but I ended up being pitted against 6 guys all instructors, expert plates, and an ex WERA something champion on rain tires, I was a little unclear as to exactly when you could leave the line so I went when everyone else let the clutches out and got a great start going right to the lead but didn't want to hold everyone up since I would be innevitably passed so I got on the brakes early and let all but one by, followed them for a while and had an absolute blast sliding the front and rear around in the rain, ended up finishing 5th, my initial goal was finish my first race, my second goal was don't come in dead last, so all in all it was a great experience, and it won me $25. Then after lunch the sun came out and the track dried quick and it was perfect, definetly started going faster than I ever have more comfortable than I've ever been, although I had a big problem with traffic, entire day I might have gotten two uninterupted laps in total, tons of bikes out and I didn't want to stuff anyone but alot of guys that would go fast in the straight parts wouldn't get a hint when I kept showing them a wheel braking for the turns, so had to put some aggressive(by my definition anyways, i'm pretty curteous on passing) passes on guys than I would usually prefer to but after trying to explain the situation to some of the officials on how guys need to learn what the blue flag means, it was clear no one cared.

Because of all the wet sessions www.racedayphoto.com only took a few pictures, and the only spot he took shots from in the dry was Turn 4, the slowest on the track and definetly my personal slowest turn, but still thought some of the shots came out pretty good.

seanazzy

that's awesome bret